


the laser's fill our minds with empty plans

by deareli



Category: Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alcohol, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bar Fight, Drinking, Fluff and Angst, George gets a bit mad, I dunno what else to tag sry, Insecurities, M/M, Most of this is mentioned, One Shot, Protective Alex Elmslie, Protective George Andrew, Protective Will Lenney, Will is a giant softie im sorry for this, fight, he's just protective, not really shippy unless you squint
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-14
Updated: 2019-11-26
Packaged: 2021-01-30 15:50:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,214
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21430768
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deareli/pseuds/deareli
Summary: will gets into a fight and alex panics(title taken from techno fan by the wombats)
Relationships: Alex Elmslie/Will Lenney, George Andrew & Alex Elmslie, George Andrew & Will Lenney
Comments: 19
Kudos: 179





	1. the fight

**Author's Note:**

> im not dead!!!  
ive recently gotten into the commentary crew and this little plot popped into my head 
> 
> **please do not share this work or send it to anyone mentioned in the story, this is purely fiction and i don't want the people mentioned to read it**
> 
> also! i made a willne fanmix if anyones interested  
https://8tracks.com/ahgayboi/a-willne-fan-mix

“I can’t believe you,” Alex huffed, letting Will’s body lean heavily on him as he struggled to unlock the door into his apartment. Alex knew that George wouldn’t look twice if he saw Will sleeping on their couch (the Northern youtuber stayed over often enough anyways). “I honestly can’t believe you.”

Will, for all he could understand in his current state, simply leant against Alex as he was too close to unconsciousness to support his full weight, and laughed breathily. “You keep sayin’ that,” he slurred, bringing a hand up to touch the bruises forming on his jaw. Alex could smell the alcohol on his breath, and made a mental note to leave some water and painkillers out.

“I 100% mean it,” Alex grumbled instead, pushing the door open and struggling to get both himself and Will inside. He managed it though, sitting the taller man on the couch and watching him sink comfortably into the cushions, before stumbling towards the bathroom to see if there was anything he could use from his and George’s bathroom to help with Will’s wounds.

He thought back to what had happened, despite only being there for the end of it. He had left Will for what he swore was a second to get them some more drinks, and when he turned around with both in his hands, he found Will gone.

He only had to worry for a moment because before he could try and look for Will himself, he got a text from the man saying he was outside. When he had gotten outside he found Will leaning against the wall, hand to his bloodied lip with bruises already forming over his face. He could see another man limping away, which already made Alex’s blood run cold. When he had run over to Will to ask what had happened and if he was alright, the man simply grinned and slurred out that he had gotten into a fight.

Fast forward to now, and Alex had managed to find some painkillers. He wet a towel and walked into the kitchen to grab some ice, before heading back to Will. The taller man had fallen onto his side on the couch, long arm dangling off the side with his face smushed into the couch.

Alex groaned, putting down the items in his hands and softly turning him over onto his back. “Will?” Alex called softly, trying to stay quiet so as to not wake George up (he could get very cranky and mean if he was woken up).

Will furrowed his brow, eyes fluttering open and struggling to focus on Alex. If Alex didn’t know that Will was basically blackout drunk, he’d be very concerned about a possible concussion.

“You’re gonna hurt tomorrow, mate,” he said apologetically, trying to offer a smile. He sat on the edge of the couch, near Will’s head, and grabbed the wet towel. “I’m gonna clean the blood off, and then you can take some painkillers and sleep, a’right?”

“Al,” Will managed to get out, voice slurred, so quiet Alex almost couldn’t hear it. But instead, he simply nodded and started to wipe at his face gently, eyebrows furrowed at the slowly darkening bruises.

Once he finished, he helped Will sit up – taking note of the wince of pain – and handing him the glass of water and painkillers.

“Y’re takin’ care o’ me,” Will managed, managing a small grin at Alex, though he clearly didn’t feel it. “Knew y’liked me. Knew y’didn’t hate me.”

“Why would I hate you?” Alex blinked, watching Will swallow the painkillers with the help of the water, though his hands were shaking.

However, his question fell on deaf ears as Will leant heavily against Alex’s shoulder once again, and Alex took the cup away before it fell from his hands. He put it back down next to the couch, standing up and carefully laying Will down against the cushions. The other man was barely awake even before he hit the cushions. Alex carefully draped the light blanket nearby over him, then stood up straight, biting his lip in worry.

But then the dizziness returned, and Alex decided he could deal with it in the morning. For now, he needed sleep.

\--

Alex really should have warned George before morning, he was too hungover to deal with his flatmate’s excessive questioning.

“…estly he’s an idiot,” George was saying, cup of tea in hand as he looked over at the couch where Will still lay dead to the world. The bruises were blossoming now, his jaw and left eye had turned an ugly blueish purple, and his split lip was now prominent. “Do you know why he got into a fight?”

Alex shook his head, running a hand through his greasy hair. “He just said he was in a fight George, turns out drunk Alex forgot to ask,” he bit back, feeling slightly bad for the sarcastic response. He knew George was just as worried as he was – Will wasn’t the type to just start a fight for no reason. “Sorry.”

“It’s fine,” George shrugged, putting his cup down and wondering over from the couch. He took one of Will’s hands gently, the Northerner simply snuggling deeper into the couch in response, and examined his knuckles. “He got a few hits in at least,” he said, noting the cracked skin on Will’s knuckles.

“Wait, I missed those,” Alex said, walking over and sitting next to George, looking at Will’s fingers. “Crap, I must’ve missed them when I cleaned his face.”

George shook his head and put Will’s hand back down. “He can clean them himself when he wakes,” he said, putting a hand on Will’s shoulder and shaking him slightly. “Oi, wake up.”

“Piss off,” Will’s voice grumbled, any possible venom in the phrase taken out by the fact that his face was smushed against the cushions. “’et m’ sleep.”

“That wasn’t even proper English.”

“George,” Alex warned, but it didn’t matter. Will’s head was raised, sleepily glaring at George with his right eye, while his left was swollen almost completely shut.

George simply smiled – or was it a smirk? Alex wasn’t sure – and turned his attention to Will. “You look like shit, mate. Reckon you need a proper beauty sleep to even begin to look human again.”

“I always look beautiful,” Will managed, dropping his head back onto the couch with a groan. “Entire head ‘urts. I don’t think I made it ‘ome last night either.”

Alex decided to butt in at this point, trying to convey to George to get some more painkillers. The man sighed, standing up and leaving to get some while Alex turned back to Will. “Are you alright? Do you remember last night?”

Will pursed his lips, looking like he was struggling to remember anything until he winced in pain. “I ‘member a fight, punched a guy- oh god my ‘ead.”

“Remember that pain for when you get shit-faced next time,” George said, more sympathetic this time as he held out two tablets and a glass of water to the man on the couch. “Why did you get into a fight?”

“He threw the first punch-“

“Even then you’re not the type of person to intentionally hurt someone,” George cut Will off, more serious than anything else. Alex figured this was his way of helping Will.

Will remained silent at that, swallowing the pills with a big sip of water. He took a few moments to examine the dried blood on his fingers, then slumped his shoulders. “He said something that made me angry is all,” he mumbled, so quiet Alex barely heard it.

“What was it?” George asked, a serious expression on his face.

“Does it matter?” Will shot back, almost glaring at George as best he could. “He threw a punch, said something, I threw one back.”

George shrugged, and Alex could see he was a bit annoyed with the lack of answers. “Not now, you should rest,” Alex cut in, deciding to play it nice for now before they started arguing again. He didn’t think he could deal with that.

“I’ll head back to m’ flat for now,” Will said instead, pushing himself up into a sitting position. “Get out of your ‘air.”

Alex wanted to say something, but bit his tongue and decided to leave it for now, standing up and holding out his hand to Will. Will took it, standing shakily but managing to stay standing. George also stood up, a frown still on his face as he watched. Alex could tell he wanted to interrogate Will some more, and decided to intervene for now.

His hand felt cold when Will let go, which made Alex curse himself. Now was not the time for those feelings to come back, his main concern was getting Will somewhere he could rest.

“’ll be fine,” Will mumbled, looking shaky on his legs as he made his way to the front door. “Thanks for ‘elping me back Al, sorry about last night.”

“Let us know when you get home,” George decided to say, opening the door for him. Will nodded, looking at them both – his gaze lingering on Alex for a bit longer, before giving a weak salute and leaving.

Alex watched him go, before his gaze met George’s.

He could tell neither of them had any clue what to do.


	2. the aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> george tries to fix things

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the wait and how shitty this chapter is! i've decided to do this fic in four chapters. the next chapter will be completely in will's perspective, then the fourth chapter will be alex's confrontation and their fix up. sorry about the wait, but it may not be finished for a couple of weeks as i have my last few uni assignments to do. 
> 
> once those are done i'll continue this, but please enjoy!

“So, you mind telling me what it was about?” George asked, watching as Will finished the rest of his drink before setting up his camera. They had agreed to film a video for the S2W channel, since Will wasn’t in the mood to do anything better for his main channel. George knew for a fact that Alex was originally meant to be in the video instead, but for some reason he and Will were avoiding each other.

It was three days after the fight, and while the split lip was almost healed, the bruises had darkened, and both men knew that the comments were going to pick up on it. Will had jokingly suggested makeup, but then changed his mind about it and George didn’t want to push him.

“If you’re askin’ about the fight, I told you I don’t remember what exactly happened,” the Northerner said, finishing with the camera and turning to face George.

George scoffed, rolling his eyes despite Will not being able to see them from behind his glasses. “That’s why you haven’t been bugging us for attention, right?”

“Well-“ Will cut himself off, visibly tensing because George had hit the nail right on the head. “I just don’t want to be around when I still look like ‘ve ‘ad a run in with a MMA fighter. You saw how Alex flinched at the bruises.”

“Speaking of… how are the ones on your back and stomach?”

“Aw, is big George Memeulous worried?” Will teased, a small grin on his face. But George could see it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “They’re fine. Bit sore though when I eat.”

George rolled his eyes, trying his best to hide his worry. He moved to sit down in the chair next to Will’s, ready for the video, and lightly punched his upper arm in a comfort move. It was the best he could do.

The smile Will sent him, a small genuine one, made him feel slightly better as they started the video.

\--

After the video was done, George had gone back to his flat as Will had requested some alone time. The shorter male didn’t really want to leave him alone, but knew that when Will wanted to be alone he meant it. The Northerner was clingy and loved being around people, so him wanting to be alone was something George would allow him.

“Is he alright?” Alex had asked, the second George got back, a small bag of takeout in hand. He put it on the bench, watching Alex sift through it and start to eat, and smiled to himself.

“Probably not, but there’s not much we can do,” George said with a shrug, despite feeling angry at himself and at Will and at the other man involved about the entire situation.

He watched Alex eat dinner, head on his palms. He had dinner on the way home, so he didn’t mind just watching. “He hasn’t talked to me since that night,” Alex said, once he finished eating. “I don’t know what to do George. I miss him.”

George sighed, running a hand through his hair. He’s close to Will, knows him well, but he has no idea what goes on in the older man’s head, especially with stuff like this. Will tends to close himself off when it comes to his own struggles, and it pissed George off to no end. “He said he doesn’t want to make you uncomfortable,” he settled on, knowing it wasn’t the truth but figured it would help Alex feel a bit better.

“That’s dumb,” Alex said, mouth full of burger. “I don’t feel uncomfortable around him, I just hope they’re healing properly.”

“They seem to be, you’ll be able to see in the video once he uploads it,” George said, frowning a bit. He got his phone out, remembering that it had vibrated when he was on his way home, and was right when he figured it was a twitter notification. It was a photo that Will had sent out, a mirror selfie showing the bruising on his face with a simple caption of ‘don’t be surprised about the bruises, had a bit of a scrap recently x’. “Okay so he’s uploaded a photo too,” George said after examining it, showing the photo to Alex.

The younger boy looked at it, eyebrows furrowing into a frown. “They look better at least but… George he doesn’t look alright.”

That was something George knew, but he was frustrated that he didn’t know how to fix it. “He’s not, but he won’t talk to me. You know him, Al, he won’t talk to anyone.”

Alex sighed in defeat, food finished as he sunk into the chair with his head in his hands. George could tell that Alex missed Will. The two were very close, and while George knew he was close with Will, he was aware that Alex had gotten his own spot in Will’s heart as cheesy as it sounded. Will spent a lot of time at George’s and Alex’s flat, hanging out with them both, but him and Alex were joined at the hip whenever he was there.

He knew Will relied on the presence of other people to feel better, so George was very worried about how alone the older man had preferred to be recently. He was isolating himself, and George wasn’t happy about it.

“Should I go see him?” Alex’s voice cut through his musings, his phone in his hand as he looked at George expectantly. Like George held all the answers that he needed.

“Not today. Tomorrow maybe, if he doesn’t come by here. He’s isolating himself.”

Alex nodded, looking through all the replies to Will’s tweet. Some of his subscribers were sending their wishes or asking what had happened. Even a reply from James just wishing him well was there. But Alex could see one in particular that made him mad. It was one from a ‘fan’, Alex assumed, who had said that whatever happened was something that Will deserved.

He quickly sent a reply to the tweet, saying that Will had gotten hurt because of something that wasn’t his fault, and that he didn’t deserve the pain he was in, and then reported the tweet before closing his phone.

There wasn’t much for either of them to do, but wait. Despite how worried the two of them were, even as they met each other’s eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> let me know how y'all are feeling about this, comments and kudos make me feel a lot better! thanks for reading xx


	3. will

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> will's thoughts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this is so crappy, i tried to stay in character but it was hard  
also sorry for the angst
> 
> this story has one more chapter to go too! thanks for sticking by me!

_Three days ago _

As soon as he had gotten back to his flat, Will sank to the floor with his back against the door. His entire body ached and hurt, his head made the room spin and yet all he could feel was regret. The way Alex had looked at him when he woke up made his stomach twist more than the possible alcohol poisoning did.

He forced himself up with a groan, hands around his stomach as his entire body tried to force him to remain on the ground. He got as far as the couch and flopped down, wincing at the shot of pain through his body, then relaxing into the cushions. From there, he fell into a fitful sleep.

\--

The next day he tried to make himself feel useful by editing some footage from an old video and uploading it.

His head felt staticky, like it was an old VHS tape that didn’t work, and he didn’t know what to do. The bruises had begun to develop more and underneath his big hoodie and pants his body was covered in bruises that he knew were now an ugly brownish purple. He avoided mirrors all day, barely even getting out of bed to do anything other than editing.

He knew he didn’t look great, even without seeing himself. He felt awful, something he didn’t like feeling. All day his friends had been messaging him, and he had to turn his phone off so he didn’t respond to any of them. He didn’t feel like he could without snapping.

He had turned his phone back on eventually to scroll through twitter, then putting it back down after getting another text from Alex asking him if he was alright.

With his stomach twisting, he turned onto his side and curled up into a ball, not wanting to open his eyes again.

\--

George showed up on the third day, a bag of food in hand and a frown on his face.

Will let him in silently, knowing George would push his way in if he had to. He figured that sooner or later the shorter man would show up, but Will was hoping it would be later. He didn’t feel ready to talk to anyone.

“It’s been a while,” George said, putting the food down on the kitchen counter and sitting down. Will could feel George’s eyes on him as he moved, so he tried extra hard not to wince whenever he moved.

“Been sick,” was all Will offered, not really wanting to open up about how he felt and has been feeling recently.

George looked entirely like he didn’t believe him, and Will didn’t blame him. He probably looked like shit, the bruises still there on his face and bags under his eyes from lack of sleep. The food George brought with him only made him feel sick, despite barely eating the past few days.

Instead, George gestured to the bag of food. “Brought take-out, figured you hadn’t been looking after yourself since you’re probably moping.”

“’m not moping and ‘m not hungry,” Will sniffed, crossing his arms and immediately regretting the action as his chest ached.

George jumped up at that, more worried than Will had ever seen him, and it made him feel worse to see his usually stoic friend looking like that. “I knew you had other bruises, where are they?” he asked, walking over to Will.

Will automatically took a step back, before relenting and letting his head drop. He knew George would get his way sooner or later, and this way was a lot easier for both of them. He sat on one of the kitchen stools, taking off both his hoodie and the shirt underneath until he was topless in front of George. He didn’t usually mind though, he wasn’t exactly insecure about his body.

He watched George take a sharp intake of breath at the sight, and shrunk in on himself at the sound. He knew the bruises were bad, they hurt a lot for them to not be good.

“Did Alex know about these?” George asked, gesturing for Will to put his shirt back on. He did, but kept the hoodie off for the time being.

Will shook his head, not meeting George’s eyes. Despite being the taller one, for once he felt small compared to his friend. “It was less of a fight and more of… me pissin’ someone off like I usually do, and ‘im getting angry enough to hit me,” he said, not wanting to say more than that. He felt embarrassed, usually he could talk a big game but after that night he didn’t feel like it.

He stood up, stretching his arm out and turning to George. “Want to record a video?” he asked, not giving George any time to reply to his confession. At George’s small nod, he grinned and led the way to his room, feeling the static move to the back of his head now that he had something to do.

He started setting his equipment up, having a certain idea in mind that he was originally going to do with Alex. But since he was trying to avoid that entire situation, George was his next best bet. He could have asked James, but the shorter man was already here.

As he set up, he noticed George sitting down on his bed. “So, mind telling me what that was about?”

\--

Once George had left, Will felt his walls crumble. He didn’t know how much he could take of this, his head felt heavy and his entire body felt exhausted.

He stumbled through to the bathroom, finally looking at himself in the mirror. No wonder George looked so worried – he looked horrible. He looked like he was deathly sick or something, instead of how good he usually looked.

He ran a hand through his hair, feeling tears pooling at the corner of his eyes. His hands shook, and he clenched them in order to try and stop it. He hated feeling like this – feeling like the world was crumbling around him.

He wiped at his eyes, taking out his phone and snapping a quick selfie of himself in the mirror, trying his best to look cheery rather than how he felt. He added the photo to twitter with a quick caption, figuring it would be easier to show a photo rather than shock everyone with the video. Before he could see any of the replies he locked his phone, stumbling back to his bed and dropping onto it.

He didn’t even bother to get under the sheets, and not caring that it wasn’t late, he curled up into a ball and let all his emotions go, tears streaming down his face and the sobs becoming uncontrollable.

He felt like he had ruined everything and it sucked. He wanted to die.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> comment and leave kudos if you liked! let me know what y'all think so far <3


	4. confrontation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> alex confronts will, some feelings are shared

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> last chapter! but, not the last fic. i have another one planned in the works, plus some original content for y'all who are interested in my work. 
> 
> now that uni is over, i may have more time to write so keep an eye out for any new stories to pop up!
> 
> this is written in alex's pov and it will be a bit angsty

Alex was worried.

Well, that was an understatement, but he couldn’t describe it anymore than that. It had been a week since the fight and Will hadn’t been around the apartment since he left the morning after. Usually he visited a lot, even if George and Alex weren’t there. Alex had gotten used to coming home to his apartment only to find Will lounging on the couch playing Fifa or watching something on his phone. He claimed it on boredom but Alex knew it was because he was lonely and really liked his and George’s company.

Two days ago Will had uploaded the video he recorded with George on the S2W channel, and while the bruises were healing nicely Alex could tell that his smile and his cheeriness was forced. Will was a genuinely cheery person compared to the rest of them, and a lot of the time his high-energy videos were genuine – this one was the complete opposite.

Alex almost went over to Will’s flat, but George had made him stay instead, claiming that Will needed time alone. While Alex disagreed, he knew George only wanted what was best for Will.

However, two days later and radio silence meant that Alex was at his wits end. Will had been completely silent on social media and had not messaged anyone.

“Yeah he’s not messaged us either,” James was saying, on the other side of the call. George wasn’t home and Alex wanted to hear someone else’s voice, so he had decided to call the friend he knew he could get some solid advice from. “Saw his video too. He didn’t look good.”

Alex sighed in relief, sagging against his wall. “I’m so glad you saw it too, it’s driving me insane James,” he said, hating how childish he sounded. But he couldn’t help it, he felt helpless and the worry was eating him up inside. He had thrown up whenever he tried to eat something, so he gave up for the time being.

“Have you gone to see him?”

“George told me not to. Said that it’d only make things worse,” Alex replied, sliding down the wall to sit on the floor against it, hoodie sleeves falling over his hands and his phone held tightly against his ear.

He heard James sigh on the other end of the line, more out of thinking than annoyance. It took years of friendship for Alex to recognise the different sighs James had. “I think George is wrong. From my side of things, it sounds like you and Will need to talk things out. You know how strange it is that he’s not been around,” the older man said, sounding as adult as ever. It reassured Alex to just hear his voice.

“You think I should go?” Alex asked quietly, his hand tightening around his phone. He felt anxious, his stomach twisting and making him want to either pass out or vomit again.

“Mate, I think it’s the best thing. It might be a bad situation now but he needs support,” James replied, sounding like he knew more about things that was going on. “Al, I went to go see him yesterday and he looked horrible. And from what George is saying he’s struggling mentally as well.”

Alex blinked. “You went to see him?”

“He didn’t let me past the front door but yes. Go see him Alex, he’ll talk to you more than any of us.”

“Okay. Okay yeah, I’ll go see him. Thanks, James.”

\--

It took Alex about 5 minutes to work up the courage to knock. In his hands he had one of his hoodies, one of his pink ones that he knows fits Will because the taller man has worn it on occasion.

Alex didn’t know how this would work out, and the thought that Will may genuinely never want to talk to him again terrified him. But his friend needed help, and so that was what compelled him to knock.

When he got no answer, he pulled out the spare key Will had given him after one too many drunken nights out, and unlocked the door. He slid inside, immediately noting the lights were off apart from one in the kitchen, and Gee didn’t seem to be home. Worried enough, he flicked on the lights and made his way to Will’s bedroom instead.

Opening the door, he was met with more darkness. The blinds were shut and the light was off. If it wasn’t for the occasional blinking light from Will’s monitor, Alex might have missed the small lump on the bed under the covers.

Instead of turning the light on this time, he made his way over to the bed, putting his hoodie down on the end of it and pulling back the covers slowly.

Will was asleep, eyebrows scrunched up in what Alex assumed was pain and long legs curled up to his chest, his body forming a ball. He was wearing only a shirt and shorts, hair a mess and the bruises still visible on his arms and face. Alex even noticed there were bags under his eyes, and from the looks of things he had been crying too.

Deciding to leave him be for now, Alex simply tucked the covers around him and left the room, deciding to sit on the couch until Will woke up.

\--

He had somehow lost track of time, scrolling through twitter on his phone. However, he heard a small thump come from the bedroom, shortly followed by a barely audible grunt.

Deciding that Will was finally awake, Alex put his phone down and calmly waited on the couch. Or rather, tried to appear calm. On the inside, his stomach was in knots and he wanted to do nothing but disappear.

He heard the door open, and took a small breath.

“Alex?” Will’s voice came, sounding small and unsure. Alex turned at the call, looking up at Will who stood by his bedroom door – shocked. “What’re you doing here?”

Well. That was a good start. At least Will wasn’t threatening to kick him out or retreating into his bedroom. “Came to see you,” was what Alex managed out. “Been a bit worried, we have. It’s been days Will.”

Will shifted, looking like he wanted the ground to swallow him whole. Alex really didn’t blame him, but he wanted to know what happened to make Will seem this way.

“I just… didn’t want to be around when I look like this,” he said instead, and Alex didn’t truly believe him this time.

“No, there’s something else,” the words were out before Alex had any chance of stopping them. But he decided that he had to keep going now. “Will, I know you. George knows you. We don’t care about what you look like and you know that. There’s something else.”

_“Knew y’liked me. Knew y’didn’t hate me.” _Those words came back to Alex’s mind, the same words Will had drunkenly confessed to him before passing out.

Before Will could offer a rebuttal, Alex continued. “Do you hate me?”

There. The question was out before he could stop it, and his mind stopped. He could feel each breath in his lungs and the room suddenly felt more constricting than it had been. Will was one of his best friends. He didn’t know if he could handle losing such a close friend. And Alex knew what he felt for Will was more than friendship, but even that wasn’t enough for Alex to ever risk their friendship.

But the thought that Will might hate him terrified him more than anything. More than confessing his love. More than George being genuinely mad at him for fucking up.

“No!” Will gasped, almost immediately. His eyes were wide, and he looked like he wanted to break down then and there. “God no, Alex. I don’t think I could hate you at all.”

“Then what is it, Will? You refuse to talk to anyone! It’s taken three of us to try, and you won’t open up to anyone about this,” Alex almost screamed, but he kept his voice down as much as he could. He knew no one would appreciate him screaming. “Please… I just want you to be happy again.”

Will bit his lip, and Alex could see he was close to his breaking point. The taller man let out a small sniff, dropping onto the couch with his head in his hands. His entire body was shaking, and his breaths started to come out in short bursts. Alex knew a breakdown when he saw one, and he knew this wasn’t the first one since this whole shit began.

“Will,” Alex whispered, moving to sit next to him. He didn’t know whether or not Will would push him away, but all he wanted was to comfort his best friend. He wrapped his arms around Will, pulling him close to his chest and simply just holding him.

It seemed that was all it took for the dam to break, and in an instant Will was sobbing into his chest. It was the saddest Alex had seen him, but he pushed the thought to the back of his mind.

They remained that way for a while, with Alex occasionally offering a small word or two to try and calm him down. After a while, Will’s sobs eventually subsided and he leant heavily into Alex, exhaustion clearly settling in.

“’m sorry,” Will mumbled, the words almost inaudible as they were muffled by Alex’s chest. “I don’t hate you. Never could. It’s the opposite,” he continued, pushing himself to sit up and meet Alex’s gaze. While Alex looked calm, on the inside he could feel his heart rate speed up as Will’s red-rimmed and glazed eyes met his own.

“Then what is it, Will? You can tell me,” he said, putting his hand on Will’s knee as an act of comfort. It seemed to have worked, because Will simply heaped a sigh.

“I love you, have done so for a while,” Will started, taking in a deep shuddering breath. Alex decided not to say anything, because it seemed like the Northerner was going to continue. “The arse at the bar wanted to feel you up, ‘nd so I intervened before he could. He didn’t like that, said I was an idiot who could never land someone like you. So we went outside, he continued what he was saying, ‘nd when I disagreed, he hit me,” he explained, looking at a spot on the wall as he spoke. “Bouncer saw who threw the first hit so I didn’t get banned, but I did get told to leave for the night. ‘nd that was when you found me.”

Alex blinked, taking in the whole story. So it was about him. And Will took a hit for him. He swallowed the bile that threatened to leave his body and shook away the thought of the man beating down his friend, his crush, and fixated on the fact that Will liked him. Liked him more than a friend.

“I know you’re prob’bly disgusted by this,” Will continued, looking Alex in the eye this time. “Wouldn’t blame you, actually. He was probably right actually, and I can’t stop thinking about it. If I was maybe more like James or more nicer or-“

Alex cut him off with his lips, smashing them together. His lips met Will, and for once the Northerner was shocked into silence.

After a chaste minute, they broke apart. Alex was panting, not entirely sure if it was out of panic or exertion or both. Will remained still, eyes wide, and Alex could tell his brain was probably trying to catch up with what had just happened.

To be fair, Alex felt the same way despite being the one to initiate it.

“I- you-“ Will managed to get out, blinking. Alex was about to explain what he had just done, when Will pulled him close and kissed him, this time more sure than last time.

After a minute or two they pulled away, this time both panting. Alex could feel his heart beating fast, knowing for sure that he and Will were both as into each other as the other. “That was…”

“Incredible,” Will finished for him, a small and genuine smile appearing on his face. His cheeks were red, surprisingly, and Alex felt strangely smug that he was able to make the great Will Lenney blush. “Does this mean-?”

“Yeah, I feel the same way,” Alex nodded, watching Will sigh with relief. He wondered how long this had been eating away at Will for and suddenly felt bad that he hadn’t mentioned anything until now.

Will ran a hand through his hair, looking shocked still. “I didn’t even… I can’t believe this. You feel the same.”

Alex almost laughed at that, but knew that Will was fragile right now and probably meant it. “Does this mean you’ll talk to me about these things from now on?”

“I can’t promise anything but I’ll try,” Will said, looking guilty and tired. “’m sorry I worried everyone. George was prolly pissed off.”

“Lil’ bit. George is always pissed off though,” Alex shrugged, which earnt him a small grin from Will. It made him feel happy and relieved to see the taller man smile again, even if it was a small one. “But we can talk about this later, you need to sleep and I need to call George to tell him I haven’t run away. He’d be mad if he had to pay rent by himself again.”

Will let out a small, breathy chuckle at that. But he looked drained, and Alex really wanted to make sure he slept. Will stood up slowly, swaying a bit as the exhaustion finally hit and the last of his energy left him.

Alex took one of his arms and draped it over his shoulders. It was a bit awkward because Will was a good few inches taller than him, but the two of them slowly made their way to Will’s bedroom, and Alex deposited the older man into bed.

He was about to leave Will to it when the other man grabbed his shirt. “Stay?” he asked quietly, almost asleep.

“I can’t say no,” Alex replied softly, offering a small smile and climbing into bed next to him. He sent a short text to George and James, turned off his phone and pulled Will into his arms, against his chest. While Will was taller, Alex knew that he needed the comfort, and so he cuddled Will for the night as he fell asleep, eventually falling asleep himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for coming on this wild ride with me! hope y'all have enjoyed it <3 let me know what you think!
> 
> my tumblr for those interested is misguided-stars and my quotev is @greeentea !

**Author's Note:**

> kudos and comments are highly appreciated!
> 
> i left it open ended in case anyone wants a part 2 of this :D let me know!


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